Understanding the Role of Social Media in the Assessment of Retailer-Hosted Consumer Reviews

Agile methods incorporate many techniques that support coordination in co-located software development teams. However, these benefits do not necessarily transfer to a distributed context. Even though research on coordination in distributed agile software development is growing, there is limited rigorous research on its application in context. Further the extant literature is fragmented, with little cohesive building of cumulative knowledge on coordination in distributed agile software development. This study investigates the scientific evidence between 2006 and 2016 by conducting a systematic review of the literature on coordination in distributed agile software development. The search strategy resulted in 178 studies, of which 50 were identified as primary studies relevant to this research. The studies were classified using three high-level categories: (i) theoretical foundation and application, (ii) tools and techniques, and (iii) challenges. This study provides a structured overview of the current state of knowledge on coordination in distributed agile development, and identifies opportunities for future research

Information Overload in Processing Consumer Reviews: The Role of Argumentation Changes

Information overload theory suggests that consumers can only processa certain amount and complexity of information. In this study, we analyze whetherinformation overload can also occur while processing individual product reviewswith a high rate of argumentation changes. An argumentation change denotes achange from positive to negative arguments, and vice versa.We propose a NeuroISexperiment in which participants are presented a given set of product reviews witha low or high rate of argumentation changes. The participants are asked about theirperceived helpfulness of the product review, their purchase intention for the product,and self-reported information overload. During the experiment, we measurecognitive activity based on electroencephalogram (EEG) and eye-tracking. Weexpect that a higher rate of argumentation changes is linked to greater cognitive activity,and, in particular, lower perceived review helpfulness and purchase intention

The Relationship between Traditional and Electronic Word of Mouth and Customer Experience Quality in the Appliance Industry in South Africa

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management Johannesburg, 2017Interest in word of mouth (WOM) communication to promote and generate curiosity in products and brands has existed for many years, given that WOM is more influential on consumer behaviour than other marketer-controlled sources. Additionally, consumers are now demanding more than just a competent product offering, but rather seeking an experience around what they are purchasing. The current study explores the relationship between traditional and electronic word of mouth pre- and post-purchase and customer experience quality in the major domestic appliance industry in South Africa. The findings, from a survey of 144 respondents, indicate that consumers are actively engaged in seeking out all forms of WOM pre-purchase, and in providing all forms of WOM post-purchase. In addition, respondents are highly satisfied with the quality of the experience they have with their brand of appliance purchased, but that this alone does not account for why they engage in post-purchase WOMGR201

Millennials and repurchasing behaviour: A collectivist emerging market

This study explains how retailers can use the knowledge function of attitudinal theories to understand how millennials in a collectivist emerging market, trade-off between a satisfactory customer service experience versus price when repurchasing a smartphone. 356 useable questionnaires (86% response rate) were collected and analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM), AMOS. Millennials in Vietnam tend to adopt an individualistic approach when repurchasing a smartphone and utilise their knowledge of the product. However, they value personalised customer service that is specific to their needs, especially interactions with sales staff that raises their confidence and self-esteem. The unique interaction allows authorised retailers to distinguish themselves from unauthorised retailers. Repurchase behaviour is encouraged by low uncertainty avoidance in conjunction with price sensitivity; and the desire to be seen as achieving a high social status. The data for the study was collected in Hanoi, the main city of Vietnam and is representative only of urban-based millennials. Retailers considering entering an collectivist emerging market need to understand that millennials are price sensitive and may repurchase from unauthorised retailers. Accurate information and sales promotions can be used to stimulate demand for a high involvement product. Functional theories of attitudes is used to link the concept of customer service with knowledge function utilisation in order to establish how customers in an collectivist emerging market process information and share knowledge through socialisation

The Impact of Third-Party Information on the Dynamics of Online Word-of-Mouth and Retail Sales

Consumers have been widely searching information on third-party and retail websites before making product choices, yet receiving limited systematic investigation of how consumers process third-party information and retailer-hosted (internal) word-of-mouth (WOM) and its consequences on retail sales. In this research, we examine the impact of third party information on the dynamics of internal WOM and retail sales by analyzing a simultaneous equation system in a Bayesian hierarchical framework in online software market. We find that third-party information moderates the positive feedback mechanism between internal WOM and retail sales. Receiving third-party reviews positively interact with retail sales to increase volume of internal WOM, thus leading to more sales; whereas consumer adoption of free-trial services negatively moderates the impact of retail sales on internal WOM, which may potentially have a negative impact on future sales indirectly. The findings imply that third-party information interact with retail website information in influencing consumers’ product choices

Critical review of the e-loyalty literature: a purchase-centred framework

Over the last few years, the concept of online loyalty has been examined extensively in the literature, and it remains a topic of constant inquiry for both academics and marketing managers. The tremendous development of the Internet for both marketing and e-commerce settings, in conjunction with the growing desire of consumers to purchase online, has promoted two main outcomes: (a) increasing numbers of Business-to-Customer companies running businesses online and (b) the development of a variety of different e-loyalty research models. However, current research lacks a systematic review of the literature that provides a general conceptual framework on e-loyalty, which would help managers to understand their customers better, to take advantage of industry-related factors, and to improve their service quality. The present study is an attempt to critically synthesize results from multiple empirical studies on e-loyalty. Our findings illustrate that 62 instruments for measuring e-loyalty are currently in use, influenced predominantly by Zeithaml et al. (J Marketing. 1996;60(2):31-46) and Oliver (1997; Satisfaction: a behavioral perspective on the consumer. New York: McGraw Hill). Additionally, we propose a new general conceptual framework, which leads to antecedents dividing e-loyalty on the basis of the action of purchase into pre-purchase, during-purchase and after-purchase factors. To conclude, a number of managerial implementations are suggested in order to help marketing managers increase their customers’ e-loyalty by making crucial changes in each purchase stage

A Qualitative Investigation of Polish Consumers’ Retail Experiences during the Transitional Period: 1989-2001

The general objective of this dissertation is to investigate the most current phenomenon in the Polish retail environment and the recent Polish consumers’ retail experience. Specifically, by examining information search behavior, shopping behavior, and post-purchase behavior, themes emerged in terms of how the changes in the retail environment influenced the patronage and consumption behavior of Polish consumers. An exploratory research approach is used to conduct this research due to the lack of existing knowledge on Polish consumers and the ever-changing nature of the market environment in Poland. Moreover, qualitative research method with naturalistic inquiry was used to present the Polish consumers’ point of view on their retail experiences. The data are analyzed in two simultaneous stages: 1) an open coding analysis, and 2) a thematic analysis. The findings indicate that Polish consumers shopping behavior as well as consumption behavior have been influenced by the dramatic changes in the retail environment, retail experiences in the past, and the time perception. The data appear to provide empirical evidence that the changes in time perception appear to have an impact on Polish consumers’ consumption behavior. The findings also present that Polish consumers may have adapted the retail environment under free market economy but their attitudes and behaviors remain to be heavily influenced by their retail experiences under the planned economy. This research presents a contribution to the body of knowledge by taking a significant step and addressing several untapped issues. This research provides a theoretical foundation for better understanding of Polish consumers’ attitudes and behaviors, which is beyond the descriptive information presented by the previous studies. For practitioners, this research highlights the need for better understanding of consumers in countries undergoing political and economic transition in order to achieve the promising performance by formulating and implementing the sufficient retail strategies. Replication of the study on consumers in the other parts of Poland would further strengthen the conclusions. Future research should also explore the alternative research methods due to the nature of the unknown group of consumers. Following research topics are also suggested for the further investigation: 1) effectiveness of retailer’s advertising/promotion campaigns in Polish market; 2) Polish consumer’s in-store shopping behavior; 3) search behavior; 4) influence of time perception on purchase behavior; and 5) conceptualization of Polish consumer satisfaction response to retail experience